Hewick placed fourth behind Theleme in the previous year's French Champion Hurdle, but Shark Hanlon has announced that he will try again later this month.
The nine-year-old avoided the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup because of poor ground after his historic triumph in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day. However, he did get a spin over hurdles on Merseyside.
Hewick returned to Ireland for the Punchestown Gold Cup, where he finished third behind Fastorslow and Galopin Des Champs. Despite his strong performance, the 2022 American Grand National star is now planning to resume his travels.
Hanlon told Racing TV that he was proud of him after the final run, saying it was perhaps his best ever and he finished third. In one of the elite races held in England or Ireland, he came in third.
Hanlon added: “I just announced today that I’m going to go to France with him for the French Champion Hurdle, which he was fourth in last year. That’s on Saturday week and then he’ll probably get a holiday after that, before maybe going back to America in October and November, down the same route. At Punchestown, the ground was lovely, but we’d rather it had been faster because on faster ground, I think he’s a lot better horse. After the King George, they were nearly knocking him more than praising him. We wanted to go to either Cheltenham or Liverpool, but with the ground too soft in both places, we gave him a run in Liverpool over hurdles just to get him ready for Punchestown really.”